Metabo 260C 10" Planer thicknesser - First impressions.

[BareBear]

Gents, what do you use for polishing the tables?

Edit. There’s plenty of info on this topic so I bought myself some Liberon Lubricating Wax.

 

[Yojevol]

Gents, what do you use for polishing the tables?

Edit. There’s plenty of info on this topic so I bought myself some Liberon Lubricating Wax.

PTFA spray

 

[BareBear]

Have any of you had problems with starting the thicknesser? I can start it in planer mode, but when I convert it into thickness mode it doesn’t do anything. Not even a click.

I looked at the micro switches and can see movement in the hood switch beside the belt. There’s a cam and a grub screw in there and I can’t really get it to move a great deal. However when I push it, it moves a lot more.

I can’t see any movement in the switch on the inside despite hearing a click when I push the lever.

I’ve done a video.

Anybody got any thoughts?

 

[MorrisWoodman12]

@BareBear Generally a safety switch will be normally open so it closes in the safe condition. Thus if the wiring to the switch is broken/open circuit the failure is into the safe condition. I'd check electrically the continuity of the switch and wiring.
Take care
Martin

 

[Yojevol]

Have you tested the microswitch contacts electrically to check they're making and breaking correctly?
Brian

Edit
Oops didn't see Martin's contribution

 

[Yojevol]

A further note
I was having trouble with the same switch in that it was difficult to get the hood to operate the lever. On investigating the switch and its mechanism I realised it is not a failsafe arrangement. I also took the view that I didn't necessarily want dust collection on all my planing operations. On such occasions I would not want the hood in place. I therefore removed the operating lever to disable the switch. The machine now works perfectly well in both modes.
Brian

 

[Chubber]

Whilst I appreciate Brian's solution suits him, it would be no great problem to put a short lead with two crocodile clips between the terminals of the suspect switch to try the operation, or even put a jumper lead between them to try it out. If the switch is defective or the play can't be adjusted then replace it or short it and continue à la Brian? Good luck!

 

[BareBear]

Thanks all. I’m of the mind to jump it and carry on without the risk of it getting upset in the future. I’d almost always go for extraction so I’m not hacking it to avoid that.

I’ll let you know the outcome.

Thanks again.

 

[BareBear]

Whilst I appreciate Brian's solution suits him, it would be no great problem to put a short lead with two crocodile clips between the terminals of the suspect switch to try the operation, or even put a jumper lead between them to try it out. If the switch is defective or the play can't be adjusted then replace it or short it and continue à la Brian? Good luck!

A further note
I was having trouble with the same switch in that it was difficult to get the hood to operate the lever. On investigating the switch and its mechanism I realised it is not a failsafe arrangement. I also took the view that I didn't necessarily want dust collection on all my planing operations. On such occasions I would not want the hood in place. I therefore removed the operating lever to disable the switch. The machine now works perfectly well in both modes.
Brian

Thanks Gents. I went with the principle of shorting the microswitch by screwing both cables into one terminal. That solved the problem and I’ve now got a working thicknesser. I’ve got asthma so I will never cut without extraction anyway.

Thanks for your help. Now to make something

 

[Chubber]

Huzzah!

 

[Diver Fred]

Can I ask if the machine can rebate timber?

I've not done Rebates on a planner for years - for every thing except the smallest runs I cut Rebates on the table saw and clean up by hand or on the router table.

 

[Mad Moose]

@Chubber - I have to ask what "SLW tokens" are. . .

I just agreed a good price an Axminster HVLP collector with a Titan Planer/Thicknesser on FB Marketplace. Picking them up tomorrow. I already have the Fox version of the P/T and getting sick of switching between modes (it also started throwing the belt that drives the thicknesser) so I can now have both functions and have chip collection that I have never had before. I have cleaned up an old scaffold board in the old fox - took some manhandling and had to move outside to get enough infeed/outfeed.

 

[Chubber]

SLW tokens.. Scottish Laughing Water tokens ie. Money.

Also RLW...Red Laughing Water, needs fewer tokens.

 

[Mad Moose]

Would never have worked that out. Thanks for filling me in. Every day is a school day. Even Sunday.

 

[stuart little]

I note that you removed the planer guard, I keep mine in place with no problem, could this be having an effect?